Historically-Significant Ricohflex IIIB from the Fifties

Description

The Ricohflex is a Fifties era TLR manufactured by Riken Optical Industries in Japan. It is historically significant as the first TLR mass-produced on an assembly line. This example is a Ricohflex IIB, a slightly evolved version of the first Ricohflex first released in March, 1951. It features a geared linkage between the lenses which are Ricoh Anastigmat f.3.5  80mm versions .The Riken shutter offers four settings—1/25, 1/50 and 1/100 plus B. It requires120 film. This camera is cosmetically excellent—the leatherette covering is unmarked with no scuffing or peeling and the metal parts—both painted and chromed—are without significant chips or scratches.
The focusing mechanism is a bit tight but functions and the aperture adjustment works well.. The shutter cocks and fires. The camera was tested with film in May, 2021 and some of the results are included in the photos.  This is a historical camera in excellent condition for display and can be used.